Grandmawrinkle was a bad girl today. Was in charge (ICU), they floated away one of my nurses away for the afternoon. The radiology suite calls saying that they need to give report and drop off a patient NOW that we were not expecting for another 3-4 hours (after change of shift, when we would have had a nurse to take him.) I declined (they only would have had to hold the patient for 1/2 hour.) She gets her NM on the phone. She gives me a raft of s#$%. She asked to speak to my supervisor. I told her she wasn't on the floor (which was true, she was off elsewhere doing something.) She got really aggressive and said she needed the patient up in the ICU immediately (not true, routine procedure, stable patient.) I told her that I would call the nursing office and see if I could get my nurse back that I floated, but until then she could not bring up the patient ....
unless I could pull a nurse out of my butt.
She told me I was unprofessional. I suppose I was. She told my boss . I got reprimanded (with a smirk.) We really couldn't take another patient without another nurse, and she knew it.
I really try hard not to say that kind of stuff, but 1 time out of 100 something like that flies out of my mouth if my buttons get pushed.
Specializes in Peds, PACU, ICU, ER, OB, MED-Surg,.
Bad winter one time (every year). Admitting on my butt all day for a bed, we had kids in the hallway (when that was still allowed). Finally lost it and said "Do you want me to squat and $h*t you a room...
Yeah I heard about that one, I always get "you have a strong personality"
:jester:and i guess i'm going to have to be the first one to point out:
this thread's title is very misleading. i came in here expecting............ummm............other stuff to be discussed. had no clue why someone wanted to do a night life confessional on this board but i was all for it.
:jester:and i guess i'm going to have to be the first one to point out:
this thread's title is very misleading. i came in here expecting............ummm............other stuff to be discussed. had no clue why someone wanted to do a night life confessional on this board but i was all for it.
My annual review that year said "Needs to work on being assertive instead of aggressive." lol I didn't care, and I didn't apologize for anything. Some people are just so caught up in their own little world and their own problems, they don't respond to anything else.
My annual review said that needed to work on not occasionally sounding "harsh in my interactions with colleagues." I just smiled and nodded, and signed the stupid thing. Everything else in my review was stellar, except for this. Thing is, I just don't give a rat's patootie if I sound harsh at times. The only time I "get my (female dog) on," is when the occasion calls for it. Believe me, when my staffing is crap, I'm pulling charge duties along with a patient load, and people start pulling crap like not pulling their load or behaving badly, I'm not going to address the situation with flowers and rainbows. Sometimes, the only way you're going to get anything done is by sounding harsh or being "aggressive." I do not suffer fools gladly.
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
It felt good until she called me out on it (which was immediately, LOL!!!) I know better, really I do. It was the once a year screw up. And really, I wouldn't have changed the message, just the delivery.
I am very careful to "pull out of thin air!" I too have been scolded for pulling staff from my butt!
Go Granny, Go Granny, Go Granny, go..... Sometimes folks just won't take no for an answer! We're all only human. Nursing can be such a power play between units, nurses, wits, etc. It shouldn't have to be that way. Seems like if we as citizens demanded extra nurses, instead of accepting a constant 'supposed' shortage, we as nurses as a whole would be in a lot better shape and so would our hospitals and patient care too. Hire more nurses and enough staff, hospitals! We really need a union!
I got sent home for 3 days for saying, "Talk to the hand.", and walking away from a coworker who I felt was threatening at the moment, shaking a finger in my face within inches, even using a little curse word. That was a beginning of a supposed 'pattern of unprofessional behavior' for me that eventually contributed to my firing. Get out quick folks if you notice management grasping at straws to create a supposed 'pattern of unprofessional behavior' against you. A verbal warning, maybe, but home for 3 days, with pay BTW??? Just a power play intended to humiliate I guess. I should've fought that write up harder, maybe but why. I had plenty of battles ahead believe me. There was no winning any battles there. I just wanted to peacefully do my job to the best of my ability and go home. That wasn't good enough. Some people thrive on turmoil and drama it seems. I should've seen the writing on the wall and split then. We need a nurses' union!
Who knows, maybe I was unprofessional?! I'd had enough bullying in the end. I didn't feel unprofessional only that I worked in an unprofessional and unethical nursing environment at the moment. I'm glad your manager chose not to 'make a mountain' out of the statement, grandmawrinkle.
Specializes in Trauma Surgery, Nursing Management.
My annual review said that needed to work on not occasionally sounding "harsh in my interactions with colleagues." I just smiled and nodded, and signed the stupid thing. Everything else in my review was stellar, except for this. Thing is, I just don't give a rat's patootie if I sound harsh at times. The only time I "get my (female dog) on," is when the occasion calls for it. Believe me, when my staffing is crap, I'm pulling charge duties along with a patient load, and people start pulling crap like not pulling their load or behaving badly, I'm not going to address the situation with flowers and rainbows. Sometimes, the only way you're going to get anything done is by sounding harsh or being "aggressive." I do not suffer fools gladly.
My zen-like calm seems to go out the window when I am in charge and I see people goofing off or saying, "It's not my job." I usually reply with, "Work is work. We get paid to work. NOW GET TO WORK!" I have lost more than a few friends...but we finish our work on time!
. I got reprimanded (with a smirk.) We really couldn't take another patient without another nurse, and she knew it. 
Redhead28
200 Posts
Bad winter one time (every year). Admitting on my butt all day for a bed, we had kids in the hallway (when that was still allowed). Finally lost it and said "Do you want me to squat and $h*t you a room...
Yeah I heard about that one, I always get "you have a strong personality"